Slide transfer device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9192935-B2
Application number	US-201214236778-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2012
Priority date	Sep 9, 2011
Publication date	Nov 24, 2015
Grant date	Nov 24, 2015

Abstract

A transfer device ( 100 ) comprises a housing ( 110 ) defining a chamber ( 130 ), carriers ( 120 ), and an adjustable spacing mechanism ( 124 ). The carriers ( 120 ) can be positioned in the chamber ( 130 ) and have receiving openings ( 158 ). The spacing mechanism ( 124 ) is configured to move carriers ( 120 ) relative to one another along a chamber ( 130 ) to a desired spatial arrangement. Items, such as microscope slides ( 260 ), can be transferred between slide holder devices by using the transfer device ( 100 ). The pitch of the carriers ( 120 ) can be adjusted to receive and dispense slides ( 260 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A microscope slide transfer device, comprising:
a housing defining a chamber;
a plurality of slide carriers positioned in the chamber, the slide carriers having respective slide receiving openings;
an expander comprising a scissor assembly;
an actuator, wherein the actuator and the expander are coupled and movable in response to movement of the actuator to adjust the spatial arrangement of the carriers between a first position in which the carriers are in a collapsed configuration and a second position in which the carriers are in an expanded configuration, and
a drive apparatus comprising a rack and pinion assembly coupling the actuator to the expander, wherein the drive apparatus changes the spacing between the slide receiving openings of adjacent slide carriers proportionally relative to a distance the actuator moves relative to the housing and is configured to be movable between a first state wherein the slide carriers are stationary relative to one another and a second state wherein the slide carriers move away from or towards one another when the drive apparatus is in the second state.

2. The microscope slide transfer device of claim 1 , wherein the expander includes a first scissor mechanism and a second scissor mechanism, and the plurality of slide carriers are positioned between the first scissor mechanism and the second scissor mechanism.

3. The microscope slide transfer device of claim 1 , wherein the rack and pinion assembly includes a first rack coupled to one end of the expander, a second rack coupled to an opposing end of the expander, and a pinion positioned between the first rack and the second rack to drive the first rack and the second rack in opposite directions.

4. The slide holder device of claim 1 , wherein the drive apparatus is capable of moving adjacent slide carriers away from or towards one another.

5. The slide holder device of claim 1 , wherein the first average spacing is at least 10 percent less than the second average spacing.

6. The microscope slide transfer device of claim 1 , wherein the actuator causes the drive apparatus to move between the first state and the second state to increase or decrease the spacing defined by the plurality of slide carriers.

7. The slide holder device of claim 6 , further comprising:
a controller coupled to the drive apparatus, and the controller is configured to command the drive apparatus to be in the first state or the second state.

8. The slide holder device of claim 1 wherein the actuator comprises a controller coupled to the drive apparatus wherein the controller commands the actuator to be in a first or second state.

Assignees

• Diepersloot David
• Hebert Raphael
• Moriconi David
• Ventana Med Syst Inc

Inventors

• Diepersloot David
• Hebert Raphael
• Moriconi David

Classifications

• B01L9/52 Primary

  Supports specially adapted for flat sample carriers, e.g. for plates, slides, chips · CPC title

• G02B21/34 Primary

  Microscope slides, e.g. mounting specimens on microscope slides · CPC title

• B01L2300/0822

  Slides · CPC title

• B01L2200/022

  Variable spacings · CPC title